Hello! My name is James Hunt, and I teach 6th grade math and science in southeast Missouri. Thank you for joining me on my blogging journey!
Topic - Room Transformations
**Disclaimer - Before I dive in, let me point out that material things don't make you a 'good' teacher. Your ability to keep students engaged, teaching techniques and strategies, and your passion is what makes you good. Your classroom does not have to be pinterest-worthy. Don't feel that in order to be 'good,' you must invest materially into a child's education.
Room transformations are my biggest go-to when it comes to reviewing a math concept. At this point when my weekly objectives board says "review," they know something is coming. Before beginning any room transformation, I think it's important to set clear objectives, determine exactly what theme you'd like to create, pick your engaging activity, and make sure any possible scenario has been thought out.
So, let's start with the 'why.' I began room transformations towards the end of last school year, and I've been doing them ever since. The amount of engagement you see from the students, the excitement in their eyes as they walk in your room for the first time that day, and (if you teach middle school) the embarrassed looks on their faces as you walk them to their specials class in a giant inflatable costume makes it all completely worth it😁.
Because of our different pacing from last year to this year, it just so happened that my first room transformation towards the end of last year and my first room transformation for this school year were the same. Beginning this year with the same room transformation as I started with gave me a level of comfort. You WILL be nervous to try to pull all of it off, and that's okay! I promise you, it's worth it.
So now let's talk about the 'how.' There is a lot of preparation that goes into making a room transformation successful. I'm going to break down how to recreate this room transformation by providing links and access to lesson plans.
Room Preparation -
Dollar Tree
Lesson Preparation -
My lesson plan page for this was pretty simple.
I posted a template of how I use Google Slides to lesson plan. You can grab your own template here
My 'Decimals Diner' on TPT comes with printable signs, task cards, recording sheets, and answer keys. You can purchase a copy for $2.50 here
Topic - Room Transformations
**Disclaimer - Before I dive in, let me point out that material things don't make you a 'good' teacher. Your ability to keep students engaged, teaching techniques and strategies, and your passion is what makes you good. Your classroom does not have to be pinterest-worthy. Don't feel that in order to be 'good,' you must invest materially into a child's education.
Room transformations are my biggest go-to when it comes to reviewing a math concept. At this point when my weekly objectives board says "review," they know something is coming. Before beginning any room transformation, I think it's important to set clear objectives, determine exactly what theme you'd like to create, pick your engaging activity, and make sure any possible scenario has been thought out.
So, let's start with the 'why.' I began room transformations towards the end of last school year, and I've been doing them ever since. The amount of engagement you see from the students, the excitement in their eyes as they walk in your room for the first time that day, and (if you teach middle school) the embarrassed looks on their faces as you walk them to their specials class in a giant inflatable costume makes it all completely worth it😁.
Because of our different pacing from last year to this year, it just so happened that my first room transformation towards the end of last year and my first room transformation for this school year were the same. Beginning this year with the same room transformation as I started with gave me a level of comfort. You WILL be nervous to try to pull all of it off, and that's okay! I promise you, it's worth it.
So now let's talk about the 'how.' There is a lot of preparation that goes into making a room transformation successful. I'm going to break down how to recreate this room transformation by providing links and access to lesson plans.
Room Preparation -
Amazon
- inflatable chef costume
- 3' inflatable pizza
- 15" 4-pk inflatable donuts
- 2' inflatable chicken leg
- 4.5' inflatable pretzel
Teachers Pay Teachers
I know this seems like a lot (because it is) but this isn't something that has to happen overnight. I didn't order all of this stuff at the same time, or even the same year. These supplies have been accumulated through other activities I've used as well!
My lesson plan page for this was pretty simple.
I posted a template of how I use Google Slides to lesson plan. You can grab your own template here
My 'Decimals Diner' on TPT comes with printable signs, task cards, recording sheets, and answer keys. You can purchase a copy for $2.50 here
Even with something as simple as task cards, my students were completely engaged the entire time because it was something different, relatable, and hands-on.
I mentioned above that before beginning any room transformation, I think it's important to set clear objectives, determine exactly what theme you'd like to create, pick your engaging activity, and make sure any possible scenario has been thought out.
Objectives: Students review decimal computation (adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing) through word problems
Theme: Decimal Diner
Engaging Activity: Students are divided into four groups. The room is divided into four different sections (Addition Appetizers, Subtraction Soup n' Salads, Multiplication Main Courses, and Division Desserts). Students will rotate through each section picking an item off the 'menu' that looks appetizing to them. Students will then flip over the task card and solve the word problem on the back of that food either on their recording sheets or on the paper plates
Possible Scenarios: What about early finishers? Have them check with a shoulder partner to see if they have solved their problem correctly
(see what others have said about using this lesson in their classroom)
Lesson in action -
During this lesson, students were engaged the entire time. Even with something as simple as task cards, they loved it because it was different, kinesthetic, and relatable. Student engagement in the classroom is shown in a variety of ways, but room transformations are one of my favorites.
I hope you find these tips useful and are ready to share your experience with room transformations! If you have any questions - just ask!
Please give me a follow - socials are linked below:
Twitter 👉 Instagram 👉 Pinterest 👉 Teachers Pay Teachers 👉 Donors Choose
Student Quote of the Day: "Mr. Hunt! If my foot ever starts hurting, I would come tell you..." Thanks?
Comments
Post a Comment